What are the new Vampire necklaces?

[Phoniex]

Ok so the vampires all seem to have some kind of rock? or grey stone necklace. What do u guys thing it is? some kind of focus for communication or something to let the high priest control them? Since they are not dwarfs they can not be spirits from Hel so it has to be something to control them right?

[Quild]

That's the symbol of the Creed of Stone...

[Wilko]

As to the control, when Durkon was first turned Malack mentioned him being under Malack's thrall, so it looks like vampires in the OOTS universe have a degree of control over the new vampires they create, at least until they die or relinquish that control.

As to the necklaces, i'm note sure...

[Wilko]

That's the symbol of the Creed of Stone...


Nice catch, I missed that but now i've paged back to #994 where they are introduced you can see them.:smallsmile:

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Since they are not dwarfs they can not be spirits from Hel so it has to be something to control them right?

Hel is in charge of the spirits of all northern vampires, whether they are dwarf or not.

GW

[Rift_Wolf]

Hel is in charge of the spirits of all northern vampires, whether they are dwarf or not.

GW

It's a bit complicated because she's in charge of only the dishonoured dead, and that (canonically) only applies to dwarves. So these new Vampires are holding within them captive Souls that have nothing to do with Hel or the honour system, but because they're northerners their Vampire Spirits are born in Hel's halls.
A
I like that the Creeds Divine focuses are blackened by vampirism. Judging from the vamps we've seen, they have some aesthetic resonance with their attire upon transformation. No super cool free willed Undead Warrior with super sexy black and red Armour yet though. Guessing they're saving that for sweeps.

[Onyavar]

Hel is in charge of the spirits of all northern vampires, whether they are dwarf or not.

GW

Is that so?

Undurkon is told in 946: "Your spirit was birthed in my [Hel's] hall." It doesn't say that there aren't vampire spirits birthed elsewhere, although I might have forgotten where your piece of info was mentioned.

All I can tell from the canon comics I checked is that Hel - Goddess of Death - would be the natural choice for any newborn northern vampire cleric to follow, and most of the present vampires are presumably clerics. I could well imagine that free-willed non-cleric vampires might choose to go without a specific faith.

Aside from the Kobold's doctor, we haven't seen much vampires before the story introduced Malack, but I would assume that cleric isn't the regular job for them. There are certainly vampire fighters, rogues and commoners out there. But obviously, they are quite rare.

[Gift Jeraff]

Hel is in charge of the spirits of all northern vampires, whether they are dwarf or not.

GW

The new High Priestess might be Southern, however.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Is that so?

It's a bit complicated because she's in charge of only the dishonoured dead, and that (canonically) only applies to dwarves.
See:

[Hel] is also, separately, the Northern deity of undeath, and one of her "duties" is making the evil spirits for all Northern vampires.

The new High Priestess might be Southern, however.
The Stone Creed where trying to get representation in the Northern Pantheon's meetings, which implies they are northerners.

Grey Wolf

[Onyavar]

See:
[quoting the Giant]
Grey Wolf

Ah cool, thanks. So she creates them all, literally. I still kinda doubt that all northern vampires are her servants.

Still, as pointed out before, the creeders are all divine casters, and all were spawned by Hel's high priest. So there is no question that she at least is totally in charge of this entire batch.

[Castamir]

The new High Priestess might be Southern, however.
The Stone Creed where trying to get representation in the Northern Pantheon's meetings, which implies they are northerners.
Their religion might have a geographical spread not limited to that of a single major pantheon.

[ORione]

Ah cool, thanks. So she creates them all, literally. I still kinda doubt that all northern vampires are her servants.

These (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17331234&postcount=286) posts (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17334948&postcount=307) from the Giant say that vampires don't have to follow the deity that created them, but suggest that vampire clerics tend to do so.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Their religion might have a geographical spread not limited to that of a single major pantheon.

It "might", but there is no evidence either way. Therefore, the most parsimonious explanation remains that it is a northern cult, and therefore that they are all Hel's vampires.

GW

[Vinyadan]

It "might", but there is no evidence either way. Therefore, the most parsimonious explanation remains that it is a northern cult, and therefore that they are all Hel's vampires.

GW

I think there is a different explanation, which lies in divine territoriality. The southern gods have the last say in who does what in their territory (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0453.html). Maybe other death gods technically could create undead spirits for the vampires, but can only do so if they are allowed to it by the reigning god of that territory, who has precedence. Dwarves are a special lot, however, and they may have some extraterritoriality law hanging around them, which always makes them serve Hel. Or maybe Nergal didn't care about that single dwarf enough to tell Hel to stop (Malak did have a bunch of previous spawns).

Anyway, I think that the point isn't important, as long as the vampires are mind controlled. They will simply do what Dorkula says.